RI Senior Bowl team abandons title hopes

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After missing out on quarterfinal spots in the Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup, Indonesia had to bury its dreams for the Senior Bowl title after the results on the penultimate day did not come out its way.

Eddy Manoppo and teammates managed to add another 42 points from two rounds in the World Bridge Championships in Monte Carlo on Sunday, winning 17-13 over Italy in the 13th round and taking a 25-2 romp over Pakistan.

However, their rivals also hit wins with equally significant margins, reports said.

USA1 was dealt a 14-16 upset by Guadeloupe in the 14th round, but a crushing 25-1 win over Denmark in the 13th was enough to provide the Americans leverage for the championship.

USA2 scraped to a narrow 16-14 win over a combined team of Brazil and Argentina before thrashing Polynesia 25-3.

France and Israel also won each of their two matches.

USA1 led with 271 points, with France following in second with 264. Both teams meet each other in the last round and, whatever the result, either will emerge the champion.

With a total of 255 points on the provisional standings, Indonesia, while hoping USA2 and Israel might stumble, will be looking for a big win over Japan to stage a possible last strike for a silver.

"Either bronze or silver would be a pride-boosting achievement for Indonesia," Bert Toar Polii, an official of the Indonesian Contract Bridge Association (Gabsi), said in a media release.

In the Bermuda Bowl for open teams and Venice Cup for ladies teams, which are being staged concurrently, Indonesia has already been denied further contention after it failed to march to the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Meanwhile, four teams have already been assured for the semifinal spots in the Bermuda Bowl, although another two rounds remain to be played in the quarterfinals.

Italy has already enjoyed a commanding charge in its 206.5-131 lead over Australia. USA1 leads Chinese Taipei 237-104 Imp, USA2 leads Poland 194-110 and Norway is ahead over Bulgaria 207.5-136.

The Chinese ladies are the only team to have secured the semifinal place in the Venice Cup after they beat Sweden 201-109. The other pairings pit USA2 against Canada, Netherlands against Germany and USA1 against Chinese Taipei.